Israel pushes for Gaza control

[MIDDLE EAST] The Israeli military has unveiled an ambitious plan to seize control of 75% of the Gaza Strip within the next two months, marking a dramatic escalation in its ongoing campaign against Hamas. The operation, if successful, would confine Gaza’s roughly two million Palestinian residents to just a quarter of the territory, intensifying both military and humanitarian pressures in the embattled enclave.

Key Points at a Glance

Military Objective: Capture 75% of Gaza Strip territory within two months.

Humanitarian Impact: Up to two million Palestinians to be concentrated in three small zones.

Operational Focus: Shift from targeting individual militants to seizing and holding territory.

International Response: Mounting criticism and calls for ceasefire amid soaring civilian casualties.

Aid Initiatives: New U.S.-backed aid distribution program to be launched in parallel.

The New Offensive: “Gideon’s Chariots”

The current operation, dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots,” represents one of the most significant escalations since the war’s outbreak in October 2023. According to Israeli military officials, the campaign’s primary goals are to dismantle Hamas’s military infrastructure, secure the release of remaining hostages, and prevent the militant group from reestablishing governance in Gaza.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have already deployed five divisions—tens of thousands of troops—across the Strip. As of this week, Israeli forces reportedly control over 40% of Gaza, with plans to expand this to 75% by late July.

“We are moving toward decisive victory. The lives of the hostages are constantly on the minds of IDF soldiers and commanders. The IDF is doing everything possible to avoid harming them. Continued military pressure is a key factor in toppling Hamas and bringing the hostages home,” said a senior Israeli military official.

Humanitarian Fallout: Displacement and Civilian Risk

The military’s territorial strategy involves pushing Palestinian civilians into three designated “safe zones”: the Mawasi coastal area in the south, a strip in central Gaza, and the center of Gaza City. These areas, together, comprise only about 25% of the Strip’s total land.

Current estimates suggest that:

• 700,000 Palestinians are in the Mawasi area.
• 300,000–350,000 are in central Gaza.
• About one million remain in Gaza City.

This mass displacement follows months of intense bombardment and ground operations that have already rendered much of Gaza’s infrastructure uninhabitable. The United Nations and multiple humanitarian organizations have warned that nowhere in Gaza is truly safe, with civilians facing acute shortages of food, water, medical supplies, and shelter.

The Palestinian Health Ministry reports that more than 52,000 people—predominantly civilians, including over 15,000 minors—have been killed since the conflict escalated last October. Israel maintains that it is taking steps to minimize civilian harm and that the displacement is necessary to target Hamas fighters embedded within the population.

International and Domestic Reactions

Global Concerns

Israel’s plan has drawn sharp criticism from international observers, including the United States, its closest ally. The Biden administration has repeatedly urged restraint, expressing concerns over civilian casualties and the potential for a humanitarian catastrophe, particularly during operations in densely populated areas such as Rafah.

Human rights organizations have accused Israel of collective punishment and unlawful displacement, charges that Israeli officials deny, arguing that Hamas’s use of civilian infrastructure as cover for military operations leaves the IDF with few alternatives.

Israeli Debate

Inside Israel, public opinion is shifting. While support for military action was strong in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attack—which killed approximately 1,200 Israelis and led to the abduction of over 250 hostages—recent weeks have seen growing dissent. Some political and military leaders have voiced concern over the war’s conduct and its long-term implications for Israel’s international standing and security.

“Israel is on the verge of becoming a pariah state, akin to what South Africa experienced, unless we revert to behaving like a rational nation,” said Yair Golan, a former IDF deputy chief of staff and current politician.

New Aid Delivery Efforts

In an attempt to address the worsening humanitarian crisis, Israel is set to launch a new aid distribution program with U.S. support. Three facilities in southern Gaza and one in the central region have been established, where American contractors will oversee the delivery of essential supplies to the Palestinian population.

However, aid agencies warn that the scale of need far outpaces current delivery capacity, and ongoing military operations continue to disrupt relief efforts.

What Lies Ahead

As the Israeli military prepares to expand its territorial control in Gaza, the region stands at a critical juncture. The stated aim of defeating Hamas and recovering hostages being weighed against the mounting civilian toll and the risk of further destabilizing an already volatile Middle East.

With negotiations ongoing in Doha and international pressure mounting, the coming weeks will be pivotal—not only for the future of Gaza but for the trajectory of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a whole.